If you’ve grown up playing sports or have kids who do, you’ve probably had personal experience with sports injuries. According to the organization Stop Sports Injuries (a joint collaboration of various orthopaedic medical associations), high school athletes alone account for “two million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits and over 30,000 hospitalizations each year.” While there are a multitude of things that could happen while playing your favorite game, some of these injuries are all too common, simply because of the mechanics of how the sports are played. Below you’ll find a list of some of the most common injuries for some of the most common sports played during the fall season.
FOOTBALL
It’s one of America’s favorite games to play and watch. Football is very much a contact sport, and as such, can take a toll on the body. While head injuries and concussions dominate the discussion around this sport, traumatic knee and ankle injuries are also very common.
If you’re interested in learning more about common football injuries and preventative methods, read Preventing Football Injuries from Stop Sports Injuries. If you’ve undergone ACL surgery from a knee injury, you may want to read our blog, Recovering from ACL Surgery Using Cold Compression Knee Wraps.
SWIMMING
Swimming injuries tend to be overuse injuries. Not surprisingly, shoulder injuries are very common among swimmers. Another common injury in swimmers is breaststroker’s knee. Due to the mechanics of this particular movement with the knee, the knee can become inflamed, which is painful.
Most swimmers will apply ice and NSAIDs to help with recovery and pain. The PowerPlay shoulder wrap is another great tool to use; it applies cold and compression to the injured shoulder. Our shoulder wraps are portable, which means you can apply this technique while recovering on the couch at home or on the pool deck before a swim meet. For more information on how the use of cold and compression can help speed up shoulder injury recovery, read our blog post, Using Cold Compression Wraps for Shoulder Injuries.
You can read more about common injuries and preventative techniques for swimming in 3 Common Swimming Injuries with Prevention Techniques by Swimming World Magazine.
ICE HOCKEY
Upper body injuries are common when it comes to ice hockey. Like football, hockey is a very physical contact sport. Even though the players wear protective padding, they still commonly have shoulder, wrist, dental and head injuries. Injuries around the shoulders often include broken clavicles or acromioclavicular joint separation—more commonly known as AC separation. Wrists usually suffer sprains, fractures and breaks.
Below is a really handy infographic created by Pro Stock Hockey about the “Most Common Upper Body Injuries in Hockey.” This graphic outlines not only the common injuries, but also preventative methods to avoid these pitfalls of the sport, when possible.
SOCCER
Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world—and certainly one of the most popular in the United States. According to the nonprofit organization US Youth Soccer, in 2014 there were over 3 million youth soccer players registered to play!
Unlike ice hockey, the most common injuries in soccer occur on the lower body. Sprained ankles, knee injuries, hamstring and adductor strains are all incredibly common.
Many of the minor strains that happen with soccer injuries can greatly benefit from cold and compression, which help reduce swelling, decrease pain and speed up recovery. You can learn more about common injuries on orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, Dr. David Geier’s blog post, Soccer Injury: Six of the Most Common Injuries Soccer Players Suffer.
SHOP POWERPLAY COLD COMPRESSION
Did we miss your favorite sport? Have you had experience with one of these injuries? Let us know—we’d love to hear from you!
